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Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Loch Ness Monster's body is a ‘zoological impossibility'
The earliest accounts of a mysterious creature lurking in Loch Ness date back to the 7th century CE. But after 1,300 years and innumerable sightings, there's still no substantial evidence supporting the beast's existence. According to a recent historical review published in the scientific journal Endeavour, part of the problem may be the fact that Nessie's most commonly recognizable appearance is a 'zoological impossibility.' Generations of lore, hoaxes, and pop culture depict the Loch Ness Monster's stereotypical description as a serpentine animal whose body forms loops or arches as it moves through water. After examining decades' worth of archival material, University of St. Andrews ecologist Charles Paxton and the Loch Ness Centre's Adrian Shine noted that 25-32 percent of all Nessie-related postcards show a creature bending into one or more 'hoops' above the water's surface. It then stands to reason these are based on most people's sightings, right? The 'real' Nessie should at least somewhat resemble the Nessie on postcards, t-shirts, and other souvenirs. That's what Paxton and Shine argued. 'If commonplace imagery portrays multi-arched sea serpents, and witnesses are influenced by this imagery, then 'archiness' might be presumed to be commonly represented in subsequent eyewitness reports of sea serpents,' they wrote. As it turns out, the hypothesis doesn't hold up. In fact, amid all the Loch Ness Centre's documented sightings, Paxton and Shine estimate only 1.5 percent describe an implausible animal with hoops or humps. 'Images of such serpentiform animals have been common ever since the 16th century yet the actual proportion of such eyewitness reports, especially at Loch Ness, has until recently been extremely low,' the study's coauthors wrote. 'In this case it really seems witness[es] do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie.' Consider unidentified flying objects as a comparison. Prior to the 1947 Roswell incident and Area 51's ensuing cultural ascendency, UFO reports described all kinds of odd aerial vehicles—from zeppelin-like contraptions to streamlined rockets. Once the public learned of supposed flying saucers, however, media depictions quickly shifted towards the plate-like design as extraterrestrials' preferred method of transportation. And while many sightings do involve saucers whizzing around witnesses' heads, most instead still describe physics-defying orbs and lights. Although the immediate reaction may be to further discount Nessie sightings, the researchers actually argue the opposite. If anything, the fact that most people don't describe an outlandish monster is something that warrants consideration. At the same time, the researchers explicitly caution that their findings don't validate arguments in favor of an aquatic cryptid in Scotland either. 'This insight supports the contention that the majority of eyewitness reports are actually based on some underlying physical reality, even if not representing an actual encounter with an unknown species,' they wrote. With this in mind, it's probably a good idea to stick to the revised maxim: If it looks like pop culture's Nessie and moves like pop culture's Nessie—chances are it isn't the actual Nessie. … And even if the mystery figure doesn't have humps, it's still more liable to be a log than a Loch Ness Monster. Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Loch Ness monster spotters don't see the humps, experts say
The image of Nessie as a long, thin, three-humped monster has featured in Scottish culture for Ness Monster memorabilia in Highland gift shops and children's books depict a snakelike aquatic monster above the surface of the water with distinct new research has found the sea monster's undulating physique rarely features in reports by those who claim to have spotted revealed only 1.5% of people who have claimed to see Nessie over the past 100 years have reported hoops or humps in their description. The research by Dr Charles Paxton from the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Centre looked at the history of hooped sea monster imagery and its cultural examined how often the imagery of Nessie's arched body appeared in postcards and said that between 25% and 32% showed her with visible humps trailing behind her head and also showed the creature with a clear distance between her body and the surface of the water, which researchers said was "biologically impossible".To start with, they said, the swimming method would be very inefficient, so the chances of her looking like that at the surface would be unlikely. The findings go against previous studies that suggest eyewitnesses are usually influenced by popular portrayals of mythical creatures they see in the to the research, the majority of sighting reports are actually based on some underlying physical reality."Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses," Dr Paxton said."In this case it really seems witnesses do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie." How many times has Nessie been spotted? Tales of a monster date back to the Middles Ages when Irish monk St Columba is said to have encountered a creature in the Ness, a river that flows from Loch Ness. But the first modern sighting - which has continued to capture public imagination ever since - was more than 90 years ago. In April 1933, hotel manageress Aldie Mackay reported seeing a whale-like creature "churning" in the loch while she was on a car ride around the Inverness Courier newspaper reported the sighting and the editor at the time, Evan Barron, suggested the beast be described as a "monster".Sightings have continue to be made in recent times, with the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register receiving more than 1,000 reports since its launch in were three last year and two so far in 2025, according to the first sighting this year described two humps moving across the loch, while the second, in May, reported a long, thin creature. The search for the Loch Ness Monster In 1933, it was believed the creature looked like the plesiosaur - an aquatic dinosaur with a long neck thought to have become extinct about 66 million years ago. Critics have since said the plesiosaur was likely a cold-blooded creature and would not have survived in the cold Loch Ness waters. And if it was warm-blooded, it would need more food than the loch could provide. People have debated all kinds of theories as to whether a creature lives in the loch. The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau carried out searches in the 1960s and the late 1980s, Operation Deepscan saw more than 20 boats make a sonar sweep of the man, Steve Feltham, dedicated his life to solving the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster, giving up his job and selling his Dorset home to move to the shores of Loch Ness in 2019, a team of scientists who had visited the loch said giant eels could be behind researchers from New Zealand catalogued all living species in the loch from DNA extracted from water analysis, they ruled out the presence of large animals said to be behind reports of a monster - including the prehistoric plesiosaur or a wandering Greenland shark, which have been known to appear near Scotland. Two years ago, a search billed as the biggest Nessie hunt in more than 50 years saw volunteers help record natural - and any unusual - sights from vantage points on the quest, observers on a boat using acoustic equipment reported four unidentified "gloops" but then realised their recording device wasn't plugged event, which involved searches on the loch and from shore, was held for a third year in vehicles captured underwater photographs of salmon, pike, and a piece of cabling from camera equipment used in a 1970s search.
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Science
- Scotsman
Loch Ness Monster spotters not swayed by iconic imagery, as 'surprise' 1.5% figure revealed
Only 1 per cent of Nessie spotters report seeing the famous sea monster's humps. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The image of Nessie as a long, thin, three-humped monster has endured in Scottish mythology for centuries - luring thousands of visitors to the banks of Loch Ness every year with its mystery. But now, new research has found the sea monster's undulating physique rarely features in reports by those who claim to have spotted her. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Researchers found only 1.5 per cent of those who claim to have seen Nessie report hoops or humps in their description, suggesting they may not be influenced by the traditional imagery used in postcards and other memorabilia. The research, by Dr Charles Paxton from the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine from the Loch Ness Centre, explores the history of the image of Nessie as a three-humped creature and its prevalence in today's culture. They examined the frequency of the image in postcards. The researchers found between 25 and 32 per cent of all postcards of Nessie depict her as hooped. A historical postcard showing Nessie as a three-humped monster | University of St Andrews The findings contradict previous work that suggests witnesses are usually influenced by popular portrayals of mythical creatures they see in the media, showing more people than previously thought report what they experienced. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dr Paxton, from the University's Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), said: "Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses. 'In this case it really seems witnesses do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie.' Nessie is big business for tourism The mythology of the Loch Ness Monster has continued to capture the public imagination ever since a 'sighting' nearly 1,500 years ago. The earliest recorded mention of Loch Ness's oldest inhabitant, mooted to be a plesiosaur, dates back to the sixth century. Today the enduring question over whether or not the prehistoric relic may still roam the murky depths of the Highland loch is worth millions of pounds a year to Scottish tourism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Around half a million tourists are lured to the Loch Ness area each year, hoping to spot Nessie – generating upwards of £40 million for the Scottish economy. Where did the rumours of the Loch Ness Monster start? While rumours of an enigmatic creature wriggling around in the loch can be traced back all the way to the sixth century, the Loch Ness Monster was brought to global attention in 1933 when an article regarding a 'whale-like fish' was published in the Inverness Courier. That article acknowledged "Loch Ness has for generations been credited with being the home of a fearsome-looking monster". This was also where the creature gained the famous - and perhaps rather unfair - title of 'monster'. What sort of creature could Nessie be? In 1933, it was pointed out the creature appeared to bear a striking resemblance to the plesiosaur – an aquatic dinosaur with a long neck thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Critics have since pointed out the plesiosaur was probably a cold-blooded creature that would not take kindly to the chilly waters of Loch Ness. And if it was warm-blooded, it would require far more food to sustain it than the loch could provide. It would also need to surface several times a day for air, which would surely lead to far more sightings - although some have questioned whether it would be able to lift its head out of the water in the first place. Less exciting theories have ascribed Nessie sightings to various modern animals. Greenland sharks can grow to around 20-feet long and have been known to appear near Scotland. They can survive in fresh water and would happily dine out on the loch's fish.
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
New study reveals why Nessie spotters haven't got the hump
In a new paper, published in the history of science journal Endeavour, Dr Charles Paxton of the University of St Andrews and Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Centre looked at the history of hooped sea monster imagery and considered its current cultural prevalence. They investigated the frequency of such imagery in postcards, finding that around 25-32% of all Nessie postcards have hooped imagery. READ MORE: However, this swimming method would be very inefficient, so no real animals would swim this way at the surface. Those who claim to have seen Nessie seldom report hoops or humps - such description only occurs in around 1.5% of Nessie reports, implying that witnesses are not influenced by all the souvenirs and postcard imagery. This result goes against previous work which suggests witnesses are quite often influenced by media and other portrayals of monsters. In the Nessie case, witnesses may not have seen a real monster, but these recent results do suggest that most witnesses do try to report what they experienced. Nessie merchandise (Image: Supplied) Dr Paxton, from the University's Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), said: "Scholars often assume that monsters are generated by cultural expectations, but it is always useful to test obvious hypotheses. 'In this case it really seems witness do not generally report the impossible, even though the hooped monster is a common portrayal of Nessie.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Loch Ness Monster camera deployed in 1970 is pulled from water after 55 years — with eerie photos revealed
These secrets have been Loch-ed away for over half a century. An underwater camera deployed in 1970 in an attempt to capture images of the Loch Ness Monster was accidentally recovered — and it boasts some incredible photos. 'It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years,' Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project, which has been hunting for Nessie since the 1970s, told the BBC after identifying the aquatic recorder. The gadget was one of six cameras sent down into the Loch in 1970 by Chicago biologist Roy Mackal of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, Popular Mechanics reported. He had hoped to get definitive footage of the legendary cryptid, which has spawned thousands of so-called sightings — including a 'particularly captivating' one last month of a 'slithery mass' in the lake. The camera then lay forgotten for over a half-century until it was encountered by an autonomous marine submersible known as Boaty McBoatface, which was operated by the UK's National Oceanography Centre. While scouring the depths, McBoatface inadvertently snagged the mooring of the monster cam — nearly 600 feet down. Shine said he was impressed by the 'ingenious camera trap,' which was equipped with a built-in flash cube so four pictures could be snapped when the bait line was taken, perhaps by the so-called monster. He was also amazed that such a complex camera had managed to stay dry in its casing for all those years so far down and — most importantly — yield viable film when opened. To monster lovers' chagrin, the cam didn't capture any pics of Nessie, but the photos that were developed provided a fascinating visual map of the murky depths of Loch Ness. The film and the camera were subsequently handed over to the Loch Ness Centre, in Drumnadrochit, close to where it was recovered. Unfortunately, the existence of Nessie remains as murky as the waters in which it allegedly resides. Even die-hard monster hunter Adrian Shine remains unconvinced; he recently dismissed iconic photos of the beast as boat wakes or birds. 'Of course, there are long-necked creatures on Loch Ness — we call them swans,' the Scot scoffed.
